open;

[steadycourse]

WHO: Kiyotaka Ishimaru and you
WHERE: Ishimaru's dreamscape
WHEN: August 19
WHAT: Dream dive event
WARNINGS: Nothing too major? Probably just talking about death, but unless you want to fail, there probably won't be anything too terrible.


i.

[For some reason, you find yourself waking up in a classroom. Did you fall asleep at the desk again? Whether or not that is normal behavior, what is strange is the fact that metal plates are covering up all the windows in the classroom. What's up with that??

But before any sort of exploration can be taken place, there's a young student with white/blond and red eyes sitting on a desk just a few feet away. He's not in any special school uniform, but his clothes do look nice, like he's been trying to dress his best for school. Nonetheless, Ishida looks worried as he finally speaks up, almost like he's been waiting.]

You're finally awake! Could you tell me your talent?

[No warm greeting or introductions??]

ii.

[The casino seems mostly abandoned, all the poker and various tables are just empty. There's not even a waiter walking around or security guard in sight. And while the slot machines are working, there's no one sitting at them... except for one person. A young man dressed in a sharp white suit with black hair and red eyes pulls on the handle of one, letting the machine run before it stops.

Another loss.]

You know, I always hated slot machines. Relying only on luck, with no control over the outcome. [He sounds and looks subdued, before he finally pulls his eyes away from the slot machine.] But isn't that how life is sometimes?

[Ishimaru frowns.]

Thought hard work could change that.

iii.

[The landscape is a strange mixture of a classroom and a casino, with the walls mixing with each other and becoming a distorted mess. School desks are lying on the ground, as if they were shoved over, along with broken slot machines, coins scattered everywhere. But the strangest part is probably the fact that there are two Kiyotakas, both standing just a foot away from each other.

And they're yelling at each other.]

I'm... me!

[Both the white hair and black hair Kiyotaka shout that at the same time, almost glaring at each other before they turn their anger on the only other person here.]

I'm real!

[ooc: Any prompt is fine, you can jump straight to prompt iii and etc. If you want to fail or plot something else, contact me at currykirby]

Comments

i

[promisedyou]

Talent?

[ Mio sounds rather surprised when he asks that question in spite of being used to jumping into these dreamscapes. ]

If I don't have anything like that, would it be bad?

[steadycourse]

[He's equally surprised by her answer and Ishida puts a hand to his chin as he looks at her.]

Erm no, not normally! Talents aren't everything! But only people who have a Super High School Level talent are supposed to be in this school... it'd be against the rules!

[Would Monokuma punish her for being here? Ishida looks alarmed by the thought and gets up from his desk.] Maybe you just haven't remembered yet! I could help-- no, I will!

[promisedyou]

Against the rules...

[ Mio frowns for a moment before raising her hands a little apologetically, wearing a rather forced by strained smile. ]

Ah, don't worry, don't worry-- I was just testing you. To see if you'd have an answer for me.

[ Well, no. But she can bullshit her way out of this, right? ] My talent has to do with... languages. Linguist? Something like that.

[steadycourse]

Really?! I did not realize you were testing me, I hope I passed!

[Ah, but that's definitely a talent, even if it's one that he's never heard of before. That's fine though, maybe it's another hidden talent that Makoto mentioned once.

Or maybe she's lying. He doesn't want to doubt a fellow student, but.]

Prove it to me! Show me that you have earned the title of Super High School Level Linguist.

II

[thebeastwithout]

Uh.

[Gar is really not the right person to ask philosophical questions. ...He's really not the right person to be inside a casino at all, actually, given that it's illegal, but he... slowly seats himself next to the boy he faintly recognizes from Retrospec and gives a shrug.

By now, he kind of know how these dream things work.]

I mean... yeah.

Life's a slot machine. You never know what's gonna happen. Like... you could step outside tomorrow and a truck could run you over.

[He shrugs.]

That's... what I always thought.

[steadycourse]

That's a morbid thought to have.

[Ishimaru doesn't look at Gar just yet, only staring at the slot machine in front of him with an almost depressed look.]

...But you're not wrong.

[He finally looks over to Gar.] And you're fine with this possibility? You're just ready to accept that you can die at any time?

[thebeastwithout]

...Yeah.

[He gives a faint shrug.]

I mean... Not to be weird about it, but it's not like I'm doing much with my life right now, anyway.

I kind of just... wait around.

[steadycourse]

...So you're just waiting until death comes to you?

[The slot machine in front of Gar suddenly begins to spin and if he looks at it, he might notice that one of the symbols on the wheels resemble a slightly cartoonish skull.]

I would say that it's a waste, but maybe this life doesn't hold any real consequence.

i

[ohrlyeh]

[This man is clearly an adult and nowhere near a high school student - he looks dreadfully out of place, his long lanky body fitting poorly in the smaller chair.]

[He blinks at the young man blearily through his long strands of black hair that are cascading over his shoulders and the sides of the desk. His...talent?]

...Sleeping.

[And with a low sigh, he bends his head down to the desk again to do just that. This is too weird.]

[steadycourse]

[He definitely looks far too old to be a high school student, but maybe he just got held back that many times! Or maybe he's a teacher, but why would Monokuma have a teacher here? That doesn't make sense.

Ishida looks more troubled and puts a hand to his chin as he stares at Howard.]

Huh?! That's not a talent!

[Granted, some of the talents are really weird, but that is still pushing it!] Hey, wake up!! This is no time to sleep!

[ohrlyeh]

It is to me.

[Mumbles Howard, not even moving his head. Why is he in school? Why is this student yelling at him? He graduated years ago.]

[God, this desk is uncomfortable.]

What does my talent or whatever mean to you anyways...?

[steadycourse]

Because it's required for you to have a talent in order to attend this school!

[Unless... this guy is the one that's been behind Monokuma this entire time. Gasp, is he the mastermind that's been putting his classmates through absolute hell? He may not seem much, but appearances can be deceiving!

Ishida points a finger at him.]

Now, declare your talent to me!

i!

[spiritoso]

[ Waking up in an unknown classroom... it's a weird feeling, and while she's not exactly stumbling out of a locker this time, it's still extremely disconcerting.

Kaede almost jumps when she sees Ishida, but immediately feels relief when she realizes that it is Ishimaru, even if he does look different. ]

Pianist. [ She answers almost immediately, even though he should already know that. Still, maybe things work differently in dreams, and he doesn't know. ]

[steadycourse]

Pianist, huh...

[He doesn't remember that being one of the talents of his class, but maybe there's a reason for that. Makoto mentioned once that some talents are hidden, just like Kyoko's...

Despite remembering Makoto and that particular conversation, he doesn't seem to recognize Kaede at all.]

A fine talent indeed! But most likely not helpful for survival. [He points at Kaede from his spot on the desk.] Therefore, as the Super High School Level Moral Compass, I will protect you! Even if that means keeping you locked in here!

[spiritoso]

[ Kaede feels hurt at the lack of recognition, but she tries to push that down. This is a dream after all, so maybe there's a reason he doesn't remember her. ]

You really don't have to keep me in here.

[ As much as she likes the notion of him protecting her... but she gets caught up on something else. ]

What are we trying to survive anyway?

[steadycourse]

You really don't know?!

[Ishida looks shocked-- how can someone forget the killing game so quickly? He'll have to remember to make a note about that when he makes profiles of everyone later on!

SHSL Pianist: Bad at remembering things.]

The killing game. We've been trapped in this school... I'm surprised you don't remember!

ii

[maskreant]

[ He's no stranger to casinos since he has a memory from one—though it's far from a real one. This one isn't real, either, but it's at least realistic to some degree. As he passes down the aisle with his hands in his pockets, he perks up when he hears a familiar voice and sees a familiar figure.

This is weird. The guy doesn't play slots, so why? He approaches without thinking too much of it. ]

It is, but life isn't all about luck, either. You have to roll with the punches, but you have to throw them yourself.

[steadycourse]

...That's what I thought too.

I was born into debt, my grandfather owing money to various criminal organizations. But I believed that I could help pay everything off, it was a clear goal to work for.

[Sometimes it was difficult, but it was a challenge worth facing in his mind.]

I thought I could handle any bad hand given to me, that no matter what, I could jump back and keep trying. You win some and you lose some, right? But... what do you do when the pot is just full of fake money either way?

[maskreant]

Isn't that what they call sunk cost?

[ Thank you, school...! Ren does feel for him, knowing that it's hard to get out of the ditch you didn't even dig up yourself. Money has always been a bane and a boon for many. ]

Pace yourself and rely on others. Have you ever considered asking your friends for money to pay off the crime organizations? It's better to be indebted to people who won't threaten your livelihood. Slowly, you'll be able to repay their kindness with your hard work and company.

[ He decides to sit beside him and tries to work the slot machine. Playing these never appealed to him, but it's like real-life gacha games, no? ]

As long as there's still tomorrow, you can get through this.

III

[falsepretentious]

[Byakuya's not sure how he ended up here. But he rubs his eyes as he beholds the scene unfolding before him. Two of Ishimaru...?]

What in the world...?

[steadycourse]

Byakuya!

[Both of them shout his name at the same, which causes them to give each other the stink eye for a moment. Ishida speaks up first, however, placing a hand to his chest as if emphasize himself.]

It's Ishida! We're roommates at the university. [Kiyotaka doesn't remember any details because he only got so much information from those strange texts, but he got that basic information.]

Do you remember that?!

[falsepretentious]

[Byakuya looks at the whiter-haired version, looking quite confused. He does try to retain his cool as he shakes his head.]

'Ishida'? ...No, I'm afraid that doesn't ring a bell.

i

[optimistical]

[ well, isn't this a very familiar set-up. how many times has naegi found himself sitting at a random desk in a random classroom? far too many times, he thinks, so when he wakes up in this strange but familiar location, he's not too surprised. instead, the appearance of ishimaru a couple desks down is what surprises him. he's here too? before naegi can even comment on that, he's asked a question and he supposes he should answer ]

I guess it's Good Luck.

[ he still sounds unsure about his so-called talent. he can't deny that his luck is something bizarre but he has doubt about it actually being worthy enough to be called a "talent" but nevermind that... ]

What's going on, Kiyotaka?

[steadycourse]

[Naegi is the first person that Kiyotaka still remembers, but that doesn't mean he's going to let him off easy! He nods when he hears Naegi's answer, folding his arms as he continues to look at his classmate.]

It is, I'm glad you haven't forgotten!

[Even if he's unsure about his own talent, it's definitely the right answer. No need to make up a fake title like SHSL Hope.....]

I've come to a decision, Makoto! I know what it means to be the Super High School Level Moral Compass... and that is do the most moral thing, no matter the cost! And obviously, the most moral thing to do is prevent any more murders from happening!

[optimistical]

[ it's not fake... it's real... in KYOUKO'S HEART or something like that. it's not real in naegi's heart ]

Huh? You've figured out a way to stop the killings?

[ well, the obvious way would be to have smarter classmates but you know... that's impossible... ]